Alice in Chains is an influential grunge/hard rock group formed by lead singer Layne Staley (1967-2002) in the mid-1980s, originally as Diamond Lie and shortly followed by several other names before taking the name of Alice in Chains, which derived from one of Layne Staley’s former bands, Alice N’ Chainz. The name derived from their early stages as a band when the group would dress in drag at concerts; Staley described it as a name he thought of that would fit a band that “dressed in drag and played speed metal.” They quickly shed this image, however, for grunge fashion. Along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, Alice in Chains was one of the most commercially successful bands from the Seattle, Washington grunge music scene. Unlike many of their peers, Alice in Chains owed more to heavy metal than to punk or ’70s rock, but the group became closely associated with grunge due to their Seattle roots, the image they often presented (e.g., denim jeans, Dr. Martens boots, etc.), and their introspective and sometimes morbid lyrics (often sung in unusual and distinctive vocal harmonies).